HOME DEPARTMENT

Police Use of Firearms

Bob Ainsworth: The statistics for April 2001 to March 2002 show that the number of police operations in which firearms were issued was 13,991. The number of occasions on which firearms were discharged by police was 11.
	Armed response vehicles were deployed on 11,572 occasions and there were 5,776 authorised firearms officers in England and Wales.
	Full details are set out in the tables below:
	
		Number of Operations in which Firearms were authorised
		
			  1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 
		
		
			 Total 10,928 10,915 11,109 13,991 
			 Avon & Somerset 88 90 65 195 
			 Bedfordshire 260 190 294 237 
			 Cambridgeshire 43 75 71 114 
			 Cheshire 299 386 545 419 
			 Cleveland 35 76 28 37 
			 City of London 147 125 3 40 
			 Cumbria 52 24 30 71 
			 Derbyshire 176 178 167 275 
			 Devon & Cornwall 61 65 151 101 
			 Dorset 69 79 174 184 
			 Durham 114 114 40 89 
			 Essex 590 497 435 323 
			 Gloucestershire 52 52 48 165 
			 Gtr Manchester 160 224 357 580 
			 Hampshire 129 103 114 198 
			 Hertfordshire 75 73 86 112 
			 Humberside 317 193 158 297 
			 Kent 92 85 83 115 
			 Lancashire 616 267 242 232 
			 Leicestershire 109 222 217 300 
			 Lincolnshire 57 155 336 477 
			 Merseyside 484 489 825 1,020 
			 Metropolitan 2,742 2,862 1,862 2,447 
			 Norfolk 185 239 226 175 
			 Northamptonshire 51 57 58 43 
			 Northumbria 683 465 708 1,440 
			 North Yorkshire 69 61 72 92 
			 Nottinghamshire 266 255 233 384 
			 South Yorkshire 135 237 127 258 
			 Staffordshire 209 174 203 232 
			 Suffolk 174 165 176 163 
			 Surrey 60 143 221 245 
			 Sussex 123 185 353 248 
			 Thames Valley 158 110 153 179 
			 Warwickshire 291 194 233 130 
			 West Mercia 130 110 36 117 
			 West Midlands 305 362 485 822 
			 West Yorkshire 662 813 822 757 
			 Wiltshire 24 19 66 45 
			 Dyfed Powys 38 37 18 28 
			 Gwent 64 39 30 20 
			 North Wales 386 371 195 302 
			 South Wales 148 255 363 283 
		
	
	
		Number of Authorised Firearms Officers (AFOs)
		
			  1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 
		
		
			 Total 6,308 6,262 6,064 5,776 
			 Avon & Somerset 153 150 135 116 
			 Bedfordshire 50 46 45 48 
			 Cambridgeshire 80 77 73 56 
			 Cheshire 70 75 74 81 
			 Cleveland 78 80 75 85 
			 City of London 55 73 74 73 
			 Cumbria 98 98 94 92 
			 Derbyshire 87 77 81 80 
			 Devon & Cornwall 82 119 100 108 
			 Dorset 72 66 67 57 
			 Durham 96 101 101 86 
			 Essex 235 228 195 180 
			 Gloucestershire 79 77 72 71 
			 Gtr Manchester 217 218 240 219 
			 Hampshire 110 111 100 87 
			 Hertfordshire 43 52 44 46 
			 Humberside 102 97 102 96 
			 Kent 130 136 136 113 
			 Lancashire 132 143 132 138 
			 Leicestershire 90 90 85 69 
			 Lincolnshire 75 78 80 91 
			 Merseyside 121 96 103 78 
			 Metropolitan 1,951 1,977 1,940 1,805 
			 Norfolk 109 110 114 104 
			 Northamptonshire 92 75 77 51 
			 Northumbria 123 114 109 125 
			 North Yorkshire 83 59 66 66 
			 Nottinghamshire 120 116 137 136 
			 South Yorkshire 90 100 98 92 
			 Staffordshire 92 81 67 71 
			 Suffolk 101 98 90 90 
			 Surrey 69 71 72 62 
			 Sussex 156 131 118 120 
			 Thames Valley 179 187 185 156 
			 Warwickshire 44 54 45 50 
			 West Mercia 139 129 130 125 
			 West Midlands 92 93 83 111 
			 West Yorkshire 128 110 117 116 
			 Wiltshire 88 89 71 71 
			 Dyfed Powys 67 65 61 77 
			 Gwent 64 68 66 57 
			 North Wales 97 92 67 83 
			 South Wales 169 155 143 138 
		
	
	
		Number of Operations involving Armed Response Vehicles (ARVs)
		
			  1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 
		
		
			 Total 7,791 8,276 8,179 11,574 
			 Avon & Somerset 83 78 56 173 
			 Bedfordshire 240 172 253 172 
			 Cambridgeshire 27 54 36 43 
			 Cheshire 247 330 441 523 
			 Cleveland 29 25 16 13 
			 City of London 32 24 30 39 
			 Cumbria 38 21 27 53 
			 Derbyshire 153 167 152 253 
			 Devon & Cornwall 43 52 121 76 
			 Dorset 66 69 155 182 
			 Durham 84 67 31 57 
			 Essex 285 244 206 165 
			 Gloucestershire 49 44 39 140 
			 Gtr Manchester 43 173 302 528 
			 Hampshire 114 90 84 116 
			 Hertfordshire 26 44 65 81 
			 Humberside 277 181 136 273 
			 Kent 74 58 64 89 
			 Lancashire 596 250 177 192 
			 Leicestershire 109 144 195 292 
			 Lincolnshire 42 141 324 470 
			 Merseyside 396 466 75 974 
			 Metropolitan 1,573 1,812 1,380 1,667 
			 Norfolk 167 210 192 157 
			 Northamptonshire 32 21 35 25 
			 Northumbria 503 397 655 1349 
			 North Yorkshire 30 40 54 60 
			 Nottinghamshire 246 232 207 333 
			 South Yorkshire 115 214 103 221 
			 Staffordshire 185 131 136 208 
			 Suffolk 104 101 103 116 
			 Surrey 46 110 192 225 
			 Sussex 0* 172 245 189 
			 Thames Valley 139 108 108 174 
			 Warwickshire 220 158 194 104 
			 West Mercia 99 98 26 100 
			 West Midlands 129 138 243 563 
			 West Yorkshire 630 787 785 609 
			 Wiltshire 17 15 48 43 
			 Dyfed Powys 30 37 18 28 
			 Gwent 39 27 17 16 
			 North Wales 298 354 155 265 
			 South Wales 136 220 298 218 
		
	
	* these forces have changed the counting method for incidents to which ARVs are deployed.

DEFENCE

Missile Defence

Geoff Hoon: In a written statement on 5 February 2003, Official Report, columns 11–12WS. I informed the House that the Government had agreed to a US request to upgrade the early warning radar at RAF Fylingdales as part of the US missile defence programme. Since then, we have been engaged in negotiating agreements with the US intended further to develop bilateral cooperation on aspects of the US missile defence programme. The United States Secretary of Defense and I have today signed a Framework Memorandum of Understanding on missile defence that facilitates bilateral information exchanges on missile defence matters, establishes a top-level management structure to oversee cooperative work, and prepares the way for fair opportunities to be given to UK industry to participate in the US programme. It also contains general provisions for security, personnel and other administrative matters. Further MOUs are being negotiated covering the detailed arrangements for the upgrade of the Fylingdales radar, and setting up specific UK/US technical cooperative programmes. The details of these bilateral arrangements are confidential between the respective Governments at this stage.
	None of these agreements commits the UK Government to the acquisition or deployment of a missile defence system. But the Framework MOU is an important step forward that will enable us to improve our understanding of the capabilities of the US system, in order to inform any future decisions on missile defence for the UK or for Europe as a whole.

British Forces Post Office Agency

Adam Ingram: The Chief Executive of the British Forces Post Office Agency has been set the following Key Targets for 2003–04:
	Key Target 1:
	To meet 95 per cent. of the Customers' requirements as negotiated and agreed in Customer Supplier Agreements for the Transit of Defence Postal Service (DPS) traffic from BFPO to the Theatre of Operations (TOO), Front Line Commands (FLCs) or on board ship. Key Target 2:
	To meet 95 per cent. of the Customers' requirements as negotiated and agreed in Customer Supplier Agreements for the Transit of Defence Mail Service (DMS) traffic from BFPO to customers of Defence Mail Centres (DMCs). Key Target 3:
	To meet 97.5 per cent. of the Customers' requirements as negotiated and agreed in Customer Supplier Agreements for the Transit of Defence Courier Service (DCS) traffic from BFPO to the customers/TOO. Key Target 4:
	To achieve an overall 3 per cent. increase in efficiency.

Defence Storage and Distribution Agency

Adam Ingram: The Chief Executive of the Defence Storage and Distribution Agency has been set the following Key Targets for 2003–04:
	Key Target 1:
	To meet the Customers' requirements as negotiated and agreed in Customer Supplier Agreements. (CSAs) Key Target 1a:
	For explosive materiel: to supply 95 per cent. of available maintained munitions within demand timescales. Key Target 1b:
	95 per cent. of all issues of non-explosive materiel to consumers to meet that element of the Supply Chain Pipeline Time (SCPT) for which DSDA has a responsibility.
	Within the 95 per cent. target, for non-explosive materiel, the following subsidiary targets have been set in CSAs:
	99 per cent. of issues to meet specified SCPT at Standard Priority Codes 01, 02 and 05;
	98 per cent. of issues to meet specified SCPT at Standard Priority Code 06;
	97 per cent. of issues to meet specified SCPT at Standard Priority Codes 03 and 07;
	95 per cent. of issues to meet specified SCPT at Standard Priority Codes 04 and 08.
	Key Target 1c:
	98 per cent. of all receipts that conform to the specifications laid down in the contract and/or materiel regulations to be processed within time limits agreed with each individual customer. Key Target 2:
	To achieve an average 5 per cent. reduction in the unit cost of output.
	Key Target 3:
	The value of inventory written off as a result of DSDA's actions to be less than the levels agreed within each Customer Supplier Agreement. Key Target 3a:
	The value of explosive materiel written off as a result of DSDA's action to be less than the value of materiel written off during financial year 2002–03. Key Target 3b:
	The value of non-explosive materiel written off as a result of DSDA's action to be less than levels agreed within each specific Customer Supplier Agreement.

Defence Transport and Movements Agency

Adam Ingram: The Chief Executive of the Defence Transport and Movements Agency has been set the following Key Targets for 2003–04:
	Key Target 1:
	To meet the Customers' requirements as negotiated and agreed in CSAs to deliver:
	(a) 97 per cent. or more of Agency transactions and services provided under call-off contracts to be within agreed Time, Quantity, Quality and Cost (TQQC) criteria.
	(b) At least 92 per cent. of transactions against each contract to be within agreed TQQC criteria.
	Key Target 2:
	To reduce the average unit cost of output by 2 per cent. in real terms.
	Key Target 3:
	To achieve at least a "satisfactory" rating in the provision of operational transport and movements support.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Telecommunications Council

Stephen Timms: The Deputy UK Permanent Representative to the European Union, Anne Lambert, attended the Council on 5 June on my behalf.
	The Council approved a General Agreement on the structure and tasks of a Regulation establishing a new European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA). The Government supports this initiative but abstained from supporting the General Agreement on the grounds that the legal base proposed—Article 95—is inappropriate for this body.
	Council Conclusions on the World Summit on the Information Society, being held in Geneva in December, were agreed without substantial debate.

Gender Equality

Patricia Hewitt: I am pleased to announce today the publication of the report, Delivering on Gender Equality: Supporting the PSA Objective on Gender Equality 2003–06, which sets out cross-government action to tackle gender inequality and includes a set of targets which will be the basis of measuring my Department's PSA objective on gender equality.
	I have arranged for copies of the response document to be placed in the Library of the House.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Industrial Research and Technology Unit

Ian Pearson: The Industrial Research and Technology Unit's 2001–02 Annual Report and Accounts were deposited in the Libraries of both Houses today.

Local Enterprise Development Unit

Ian Pearson: The Local Enterprise Development Unit's 2001–02 Annual Report and Accounts were deposited in the Libraries of both Houses today.

Industrial Development Board

Ian Pearson: The Industrial Development Board's 2001–02 Annual Report and Accounts were deposited in the Libraries of both Houses today.